


The Line where the Sky meets the Sea calls me

by Draquete



Category: The Hobbit - All Media Types
Genre: A tiny bit of Angst in future chapters, FiKi Week, Fluff, Happy Ending, Inspired by Nature, M/M, Pirates AU, Sibling Incest, Smut in future chapters, Soulmates, mermaid au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-09
Updated: 2017-07-08
Packaged: 2018-11-29 17:15:12
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,210
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11445399
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Draquete/pseuds/Draquete
Summary: After almost drowning, Kíli meets an exquisite being and he is quickly besotted. There is something about this blond and Kíli feels drawn to him.





	The Line where the Sky meets the Sea calls me

**Author's Note:**

> First fic for the FiKi Week, prompt was: inspired by nature.
> 
> Title came from the song How Far I'll Go from the movie Moana.
> 
> Hope you enjoy!

Kíli had lived his whole life near the sea. Usually, it was too cold to swim and his parents never let him go too far in the ocean anyway, afraid the waves might drag him under and drown him. However, since he could remember he had been drawn to the sea. Whenever he went to the beach and felt the ocean water on his feet, he was happy, he felt like he belonged. Obviously, most of his free time was spent on the beach, walking on the shore, swimming or even running on the sand, wind playing with his long, dark hair.

There was a presence in the sea that Kíli could not explain. Since he was little, he imagined seeing blue eyes – as blue as the waters from the ocean, as blue as the skies above – but he knew it was probably just his eyes deceiving him.

When he was eleven, his mother almost had a heart attack when she found him dragging a baby shark back to the ocean after it had been brought to the shore due to the high waves but then got stuck on the sand. The shark didn’t attack him. It was clearly scared when he got closer – and how Kíli knew this, he had no idea, but he could feel it in his bones – but once Kíli touched it, it calmed down enough for him to take him back to the sea. Once the shark swam away, Kíli was sure he had seen the eyes again, but then his mother was taking him by the arm and dragging him back home, lecturing him about touching wild animals. The next day, Kíli found a beautiful purple and pink shell where he had found the shark and he couldn’t help but think the sea was thanking him for what he had done.

Years later, Kíli was sailing a little boat so he could fish something for dinner, but the soft lull of the waves against the boat was soothing and Kíli sat down, one hand out of the boat so he could touch the water – fresh, cool against his warm skin – eyes unfocused as he watched the small drifts his boat made. So he had to blink a couple of times when he saw a long, golden fin swim under his boat. Kíli took his hand off the water quickly and went to the other side, but he couldn’t see anything and he wondered if it had been a trick of the light on the water, or even a daydream; after all, he had never seen a fin so long and big in that colour before.

When he was eighteen, Kíli met pirates – real life pirates – and while they weren’t polite or nice, the prospect of being on the sea for long periods of time was exhilarating and he volunteered to join them on their next adventure. His parents were displeased with him, but he was old enough to make his decisions and, well, the sea had been calling him since he could remember. The first few months as a pirate was a hardship, mainly because he was not considered a pirate yet. He was left to clean after the others – and how did they manage to make such a mess in a ship? – and sometimes cook or fish.

However, he had never felt so alive.

Being on the sea, with only the ocean around them, was everything Kíli had ever wanted and while he still felt like there was something lacking, he felt like he was home. Waking every day to the smell of salty water and fish was perfect, not to mention the breeze blessing his face and hair whenever he was outside and the warm sun kissing his skin was wonderful. Kíli couldn’t imagine a better life.

After proving himself to be a good subordinate, Kíli was taught how to wield a sword and how to shoot from cannons and guns. It was undeniable the swiftness Kíli had when he sailed and he seemed to understand the ocean like no other, and that drew the captain’s attention and almost two years after Kíli had joined them, he was being taught by the captain himself. When the captain retired in a few years, Kíli would take his place and run the ship as his own. Surprisingly enough, all the crew agreed that he was the fittest to fill in the position of captain after the current captain’s retirement.

One year before the captain’s retirement, though, when Kíli was almost twenty-six years old, the ship was caught in an unexpected storm and none of Kíli’s understandings of the ocean was enough to save them. The ship struck against rocks and started to sink, the captain and most of the crew falling to the gelid waters of the sea below with shouts that were swallowed by the loud rain and thunder. Kíli could only watch; face wet with tears, rain and the sea. When he finally fell in the water, desperation didn’t come. Once more he felt like he was at home, but the waves were violent, wild and soon he was being thrown under the water.

It was only when he couldn’t go back to the surface and breathe that he started panicking. Kíli tried swimming, but it was too dark, impossible to see under the salty water and he had no idea where the surface was. His oxygen was quickly leaving him and in reflex, he opened his mouth to breathe, which only made him swallow more and more of the ocean’s water. When he was almost losing consciousness – his last thought being that he would die, but at least he would die in the sea, where he had always belonged – he felt strong arms enveloping him, but he fainted before he could understand what was happening.

 

Fíli’s heart was racing in his chest; he had taken far too long to locate Kíli among the dead bodies and the debris of the ship and he was afraid it was too late. Taking Kíli to the shore quickly – and Fíli had never been so glad to be near land before – Fíli laid Kíli on the sand, the storm still going strong above them, but at least now there was air. Fíli bit his lip and tried to remember what he knew about humans before lying his own head on Kíli’s chest to hear a heartbeat. He laughed in relief when he heard it, but it was too slow and Fíli needed to make Kíli throw up all the water he had swallowed.

Fíli frowned before tugging Kíli’s chin lightly, opening the brunet’s mouth so he could lower himself and breathe in, actually sharing oxygen with Kíli. He repeated it a couple more times until Kíli started coughing. Fíli then rolled Kíli to his side so he could throw up without choking. Kíli coughed and coughed, trying to bring as much oxygen to his lungs as he could in this state, but soon he was breathing – with difficulty, gasping for breath, but breathing nonetheless.

Instead of going back to the sea like he was supposed to, Fíli couldn’t take his eyes off Kíli. The rain helped keeping him wet so he wasn’t even bothered by being on land and it helped him forget that he shouldn’t be near humans, that they were a liability and that he shouldn’t be seen. Bringing a hand to Kíli’s face, Fíli tilted his head to look at his face, but Kíli still had his eyes closed as his breathing started to go back to normal. A smile formed on Fíli’s face before he could even notice and he couldn’t help but take the hair out of Kíli’s face – even if it was for naught, seeing that the rain made the hair stick to the brunet’s skin.

When Kíli’s eyes fluttered open, Fíli sighed from the warmth of those chocolate eyes. They were the most beautiful colour and Fíli was so glad he was finally able to see it from this distance. His sigh, however, caught Kíli’s attention, who blinked a few times and frowned, eyes focusing on Fíli. Kíli was still lying on the sand, Fíli lying by his side, one hand still on his face, stroking the soft skin on his cheek and the stubble on his face.

Kíli was more gorgeous this close than Fíli thought possible.

“Beautiful.” The brunet spoke and Fíli took a moment to realize Kíli was talking about him. He blushed and was ready to push away and go back to the ocean when a hand came to his own cheek. Feeling Kíli touch him back sent a shiver through his body and he couldn’t go back now, not when those eyes were looking into his with such intensity. “Your eyes… I’ve seen them before.” The brunet’s voice was hoarse, probably due to the heaving, but it seemed like his strength was coming back to him. Fíli nodded slowly, confirming that Kíli had, indeed, seen his eyes before. “And you’ve saved me from drowning.” Fíli nodded once more and the most gorgeous smile he had ever seen lightened up Kíli’s face. “Why do I feel like I’ve been searching for you my whole life and now I’ve finally found you?”

The question made Fíli grimace. He knew the answer to that but he wasn’t allowed to share it, not now at least. “You shouldn’t be talking.” He said softly, almost sing-like, just like all merfolk. “Do you have anywhere to go on this land?” Fíli didn’t know if he was speaking the terms correctly, but he had never really talked to humans before, Kíli being the very first.

Kíli continued looking at him like he held the moon and the stars, silly smile on his face and Fíli only blushed more. He felt like squirming under such scrutiny.  “Yes, I have accommodations in this town. Will you come with me? I could still faint from the water in my lungs or the cold.” Fíli knew better than to acquiesce, but at the same time, he couldn’t even think what would happen to Kíli if he left him to his own devices after almost drowning. Resigned, Fíli nodded and sat back, pulling his hand away from Kíli’s face and making the human’s hand let go of his face as well. “What’s your name?”

Fíli bit his lip, wondering if he should tell, but he was already risking everything by being out of the water with Kíli. “Fíli. At your service.” He said with a flourish of a hand and then sat back, bare arse touching the wet sand and he made a face at the feeling. It was the first time he was on land, therefore it was the first time his fin had turned into human legs once he was out of the sea. The feeling was odd – the legs much shorter than his long tail – but it couldn’t be that difficult to stand up and walk, right?

“Really? I’m Kíli. At yours.” Fíli refrained himself from saying he already knew that, so he just nodded and waited for Kíli to sit as well. It was then that the brunet noticed he was stark naked and he quickly averted his eyes, cheeks blushing. “You’re not wearing any clothes!” Fíli looked down at his altered body and wondered what the problem was. As a merman, he never wore clothes, although he always saw humans covering their bodies. Was this a problem? Kíli shrugged off his overcoat and handed it to Fíli, who looked at it in confusion. “Put this on, then we can go to the town.”

Kíli stood up slowly, still swaying a little from the lack of oxygen from moments ago, and Fíli followed suit. However, unused as he was with the human legs, Fíli almost toppled over, the legs not used to the strain put on them – and Fíli had never had to stand vertically anywhere on his fins and the sensation was also off putting. Kíli was quick to hold him before he fell, though, hands going to Fíli’s waist. He helped the blond steady his legs and once he was firm on his feet, Kíli let go of him and he put the overcoat on as he saw in Kíli’s body.

“Do you know if any of my crew made it?” Fíli looked up at Kíli, who was currently watching the violent tides crushing on the shore and bringing debris of Kíli’s ship to the beach. The storm was finally subsiding, but the ocean was still in activity.

“Sorry.” Fíli said, making Kíli turn to look at him again. “I don’t think they’ve made it.” Fíli shouldn’t interact with humans, but he couldn’t have left Kíli to die. Kíli, being one of the last to fall under the waters, was easier to save without calling much attention to himself, while the others were probably long dead before he even reached the sea. Kíli pursed his lips and nodded and Fíli belatedly noticed the brunet was shivering. “Let’s go. We need to get you warmed up.” The cold did very little to Fíli, who was used to even lower temperatures.

Kíli gave a last look at the ocean before turning to Fíli, smiling ruefully and taking the blond’s hand on his. Fíli looked down at their joined hands and started walking a bit clumsy along with Kíli, who didn’t inquiry him about his difficulty walking. They left the beach and Kíli guided him to a town nearby. It wasn’t the one Kíli had lived in his whole life, but Fíli remembered the waters of this beach, so it made sense that Kíli had a home around here. No one was outside, everyone seeking refuge from the storm inside their own homes. They walked for a long time, Kíli shivering more and more as time went by and Fíli had no idea what to do to help. How did a human stay warm?

As he tried to come up with ways to help, Kíli stopped and Fíli noticed they were standing in front of a house, but instead of being on the door, they were by the window. Kíli let go of Fíli’s hand so he could open the window after some struggled. He entered first and Fíli frowned before following and accepting the hand Kíli was giving him to help.

“The key was in the ship.” Kíli explained and Fíli sighed in relief that they weren’t breaking into someone else’s home. “Some of my crew and I would stay here in between travels. It’s not a big place, but we didn’t stay for long.” Fíli nodded again, unsure of what to say. Kíli, however, turned to look at Fíli and it was dark, but Fíli’s eyes were used to seeing under water, the salt and darkness never bothering him. Therefore, Fíli could see Kíli’s eyes and how intense they were trying to look into Fíli’s blue ones. “You’re not human, are you?” Fíli startled at the question and he wondered if he would be able to jump out of the window and run back to the beach, but he was frozen into place. Kíli smiled, though. “You don’t need to tell me. I’ll take a shower and change clothes, then you can do the same.” Kíli turned to leave, but then stopped and looked over his shoulder to smirk at Fíli. “Unless you want to join me?” Fíli hesitated for a moment before looking out of the window.

“I should probably go back.” The only problem was that he didn’t want to leave Kíli and it was clear the brunet didn’t want him to leave either when he walked back to Fíli with a frown on his face.

“Please, stay a while longer. At least wait for the rain to stop.” Fíli bit his lower lip and looked down, but Kíli’s hands went to his face, tilting it upwards so they could look each other in the eye. “I meant it what I said earlier. I feel like I’ve looking for you all my life and you’re finally here. Stay.” Fíli’s eyes glistered with unshed tears because he knew the feeling all too well and it pained him to know the reason and be unable to do anything about it. However, he nodded slowly. Fíli could always go back later and no one needed to find out. Besides, Kíli’s smile was so bright and beautiful that Fíli couldn’t help but smile back.

Kíli’s hands went to Fíli’s, squeezing them tenderly before tugging him gently towards the bathroom. Kíli started undressing and Fíli just stood there, watching the brunet take off layer by layer of dirty clothes and shoes. Once naked, Kíli turned the shower on and tried to avoid Fíli’s eyes for a moment before looking at him when he noticed Fíli was still wearing the overcoat.

“You’ll have to take it off.” Kíli said with a fond smile and Fíli looked down at himself before shrugging the garment off. Kíli took a moment to stare at him and there was something in those warm, brown eyes that Fíli couldn’t quite explain. Tilting his head to the side, he looked puzzled at Kíli. “Oh. You’ve never showered before?” Fíli frowned and shook his head, unsure of what ‘shower’ meant.

Kíli then walked under the spray of water and waved a hand for Fíli to join him. “But we’re already wet.” Fíli’s frown intensified, but Kíli could only laugh good-heartedly at his response.

“This water is warmer and will cleanse our bodies. Then we get dry and put on some warm clothes.” Fíli stared at Kíli for a moment, wondering why he had to get dry in the first place, but then he decided to join Kíli.

The water was delightfully hot on his skin and Fíli sighed at the feeling, closing his eyes and just standing there. He startled when Kíli touching him with something and Fíli opened his eyes to look at what the brunet was doing. Kíli just smiled and continued scrubbing his body with the thing and soon enough his upper body was covered in bubbles and he smelt nice. “What is this?”

“Soap. We use this to help clean our bodies.” Kíli held the soap up so Fíli could see for himself. He brought it close to his face and gave a sniff, and once he noticed the nice smell was coming from this small thing, he opened his mouth. Before he could give a bite off the soap, though, Kíli stopped him. “No, this tastes terrible and it’s not edible.” Fíli nodded and looked at the soap curiously. “You should probably clean the rest of yourself.” Kíli waved a hand to Fíli crotch and legs, but didn’t look down. Fíli did as he was told as Kíli waited under the hot spray of water.

Once completely covered in bubbles – and a close inspections of his legs – Fíli was standing there with the soap in his hand. “What now?” Kíli smiled and got out of the spray, pulling Fíli to stand under it instead.

“Now you rinse while I use the soap, okay?” Fíli nodded and watched as the bubbled were dragged down by the water. He liked this, shower. It was nice. He had never had to do something similar under the sea. Kíli finished quickly and changed places with Fíli once more, until he was also completely devoid of bubbles. He then turned off the shower and grabbed a couple towels from under the sink. Kíli took the first and wrapped around Fíli’s shoulders before starting to dry himself, Fíli mirroring his actions. Kíli made sure his hair wasn’t as wet anymore, growing puffy with the friction of the old towel, but then he noticed Fíli struggling to do the same and he stepped in to help.

“Thank you.” Fíli said with a blush as he closed his eyes, allowing Kíli to dry his hair for him. Kíli smiled fondly when he noticed Fíli’s untamed mane dried. While wet, it seemed far less imposing, but now it was big and full and Fíli was unused to it, but it matched Kíli’s in a way and he liked that idea. “How do you get warm?” Fíli asked once the towel was taken from him.

“I was thinking in lying on the bed under some covers with you by side. Body heat helps more than clothes.” He winked at Fíli, who just blinked and nodded, believing him. Kíli guided them through the darkened home until they reached the bedroom. Kíli opened a closet to take the covers from it, making the bed while Fíli stood awkwardly by the door. When Kíli was done, he lied down and pulled the covers up, but opened the other side and beckoned Fíli in, who quickly lied down as well. The covers were soft on his body and he reckoned it wasn’t all that bad to be on land. Kíli close the distance between the two of them, wrapping his arms around Fíli, who did the same a tad awkwardly, but sighed once he felt how good it felt to be enveloped by Kíli’s strong arms.

“Are you going to sleep?” Fíli murmured, not wanting to startle Kíli in case the brunet was already sleeping, but the pouring rain was still going strong outside, although it was not a storm anymore.

“I guess I should. But I’m afraid you’ll vanish when I wake up.” Kíli’s tone was sad, Fíli noted, and it pained the blond to hear it.

“I’ll be here. Sleep, you need to regain your energies.” Fíli spoke against Kíli’s furred chest and the brunet squeezed him before relaxing. Fíli wondered if he would be able to fall asleep at all, but while sleep didn’t come, he paid attention to the small things. For example, Kíli’s heartbeat was much more steady now and it was a reminder that Fíli had managed to save him from impending death. The soft lull of the steady beat under his ear helped Fíli doze off.

 

It was still raining when Fíli woke up the next day. Kíli was still asleep, arms tightly wrapped around Fíli’s waist and the blond couldn’t help but smile fondly. He remained where he was, but he let his hands wander, exploring Kíli’s body, that was so different from his own. Fíli started by feeling his back, the skin there so amazing against his own. Then he put his hands on Kíli’s hair and they were surprisingly soft. He continued stroking the hair until bleary, brown eyes blinked open. Fíli smiled before gingerly letting go of Kíli’s hair, but the brunet just squeezed Fíli closer.

“G’morning.” Kíli’s voice was hoarse from sleep, but to Fíli it sounded melodic. “I’m hungry.” Kíli commented and Fíli wondered what humans ate. Would they need to go to the ocean and fish? If that were the case, Fíli could certainly help. “We’ll have to go out in this rain anyway.” Kíli sighed and looked at Fíli. He untangled their arms and Fíli pouted at the loss of contact, but got out of bed when he saw Kíli doing the same.

“What do you eat?” Fíli asked, standing by the bed while Kíli put on some clothes.

“A lot of things. We could buy some bread, milk. Maybe honey. We’ll see what’s fresh when we get to the market.” Kíli turned to look at him, but quickly looked away again, blushing. “Forgot you’re naked.” The brunet mumbled but then fumbled with the dresser to take some clothes and handed them to Fíli, who just looked at them quizzically. “You… You do know how to put them on, right?” Fíli shook his head and Kíli, still blushing, got closer. “So, uh, excuse me.”

Kíli helped him put on the clothes, explaining where to put his legs and arms and how to close himself into it and in all honesty, Fíli didn’t like it. It was too constricting. But he understood that he couldn’t leave the house without being dressed as a human, or he would draw everyone’s attention. Once they were completely dressed, Kíli still added an outercoat to each of them that seemed to be made of plastic. Kíli explained that it would help them keep as dry as possible.

The rain had subsided during the night, but Fíli didn’t think it would stop so soon. They left the house – by the door, this time; apparently there was a spare key in the house – and jogged to the market. There were so many humans, Fíli was a bit dumbstruck as he watched them interact with each other, it was fascinating. Kíli distractedly choose some food for him and Fíli to eat once they were back at the house while Fíli looked around curiously, touching things and even looking at people who were funny looking – legs were so different, he was still getting used to seeing so much of them at the same place, although some females seemed to wear clothes that looked like tails anyway.

“What do you eat?” Kíli asked in a low voice once he finished choosing the things he wanted. Fíli looked at him with a frown and a tilt of the head.

“Fish.” Kíli deadpanned for a while before chuckling and nodding. “Algae.” Kíli then made a face, although he still had a smile on his face.

“Okay, how about you try new things? If you don’t like it, we’ll go fishing, alright?” Fíli smiled and nodded. Fishing he could do, it was easy for a predator like him. The best algae, though, were the ones from deeper in the ocean, so he would probably stick to just fish in case Kíli’s – human’s – food was weird or made him ill.

Fíli followed Kíl and the brunet gave some man a few coins for what he had purchased and then they went back home, the rain still stubbornly falling. Once in the house, Kíli helped him take off the bigger layers of clothing, but then he took Fíli to the kitchen and sat him on a chair.

“I’m preparing us something to eat.” Fíli beamed at that and kept watching Kíli as he walked around and handled things he had never seen before – but some smelt deliciously. “So.” Kíli started and Fíli smiled softly, tilting his head as if letting him know he was listening. “You are not human. That’s obvious. Can’t you tell me what you are? Or why I feel so drawn to you?” Fíli froze and lowered his eyes, looking at the table in front of him before sighing and looking back at Kíli.

“I can’t tell you everything. I’m sorry, Kíli.” Kíli smiled fondly and brought a clean hand to Fíli’s head, stroking it gently.

“Don’t me sorry. I just want to know more about you.” Fíli blushed and averted his eyes for a quick second before looking back at Kíli with a big smile.

“I’m a merman.” Kíli looked at Fíli quizzically and the blond remembered that most humans didn’t know about them. “My upper body looks like yours, but from the hips down, I have a tail like a fish’s.” Kíli gaped, eyes wide and Fíli started fidgeting at the scrutiny.

“I’ve heard of creatures like you. I thought you were called sirens.” Fíli blinked and looked at Kíli almost scandalized. “What?”

“Sirens are… different. Merfolk look like me. We can get on land and have legs. We have magic, but it’s mostly light magic, like healing through our singing. We only eat fish and algae and we live in big communities under the sea. Sirens, though, they look… More like a fish than men. Their magic is darker. They lure humans with their singing, kill them and eat them.” Kíli’s eyes widened at that, mouth falling open and Fíli grimaced. “We don’t eat men and it’s an offense to compare us to them.”

“Oh. I apologize, then.” Fíli shook his head with a soft smile.

“It’s okay. You didn’t know.” Kíli held his stare for a moment before nodding and going back to what he was doing. Fíli watched for a moment in silence before speaking again. “Does it creep you out?” Kíli only shrugged, not even looking up.

“Perhaps if I didn’t feel this connection to you, I’d be more freaked out.” He did look up then, a bright smile on his face. “But being with you feels so right that I don’t care what you are. Besides, I know the ocean is filled with unfathomable creatures, why should I be surprised you’re one of them?” Kíli shrugged again and went back to his cooking. Fíli relaxed, his smile growing even bigger. He wanted to tell Kíli everything, but he knew he wouldn’t be able to just blurt everything out.

“I need to ask permission to tell you the rest, though.” He finally said and Kíli frowned, looking at Fíli quickly before continuing what he was doing.

“Why do you need to ask for permission?” Kíli asked, clearly confused.

“It’s… I can’t just share everything about my people with you. In fact, I shouldn’t be here at all. Merfolk are prohibited from visiting land without having a reason to. And these reasons are either political or academic, made by at least one hundred year olds who have been studying the lands and the way of men for years before that.” Fíli blushed and looked quite sheepish as he spoke next. “I must admit that I have learnt little. I… I usually wanted to stick closer to you.” At the reveal, Kíli beamed and he stopped what he was doing, turning to Fíli with the brightest smile he had ever seen.

“So you do feel this, don’t you? You know what it is.” It wasn’t a question, but Fíli nodded all the same.

“I can’t explain now, though. I need to ask for permission.” He said again and Kíli nodded eagerly, walking to Fíli and petting his head again. This time he leaned down and brushed his lips on Fíli’s forehead, giving a feather like kiss.

“I can wait. Just knowing you feel the same is enough to bring peace to my heart.” Fíli blushed and tried to avert his eyes, but Kíli’s hand went to his chin, holding it up tenderly so they could stare at each other’s eyes. “How long can you stay?”

“I—“ Fíli started, eyes darting to Kíli’s plump lips and then back to those warm, brown eyes. “I shouldn’t take too long. And once I go, I’ll take at least a week to come back.” Kíli nodded and with his thumb, he caressed Fíli’s lower lip, eyes tracking the movement. Fíli could only blush.

They remained in silence for a moment before Kíli looked back at Fíli’s eyes and flushed bright red, letting go of the blond slowly, a sheepish smile on his face. “I should finish cooking.” Kíli mumbled and went back to what he was doing. The brunet cleared his throat before speaking again. “Did you say you live up to your hundreds?” Fíli shook his head.

“No, we live up to a thousand. But when we’re a hundred, we’re considered wise enough to venture out of the seas.” For the third time that morning, Kíli’s eyes went wide and he turned to Fíli, surprised.

“A thousand?” Fíli nodded and Kíli had to blink a few times before frowning. “How old are _you_?”

“I’m thirty.” Only five years older than Kíli, but much younger in comparison. “Thus why I need to ask permission.” Actually, he, more than any other mer, needed to ask permission for many reasons. One of them was because he was heir to the Kingdom he was born into. Another was because of who Kíli was.

“Wait. Are you saying you’re an adolescent or, or a minor?” Kíli asked, utterly confused and Fíli tilted his head, unsure if he understood what Kíli was saying.

“I was free to come and go freely since I was fifteen.” His reply sounded much more like a question than an answer, but he didn’t know what Kíli had meant.

“Yeah, but could I… Would it be okay if I, uh, courted you?” Kíli blushed again and Fíli opened a big smile at the question, but before he could answer, his face fell.

“I need to ask permission. You’re a human, after all.” He said a bit bitterly. That made Kíli stop in his tracks and look at Fíli with sadness in his eyes.

“Is it, _us_ , going to be a problem?” Fíli sighed and slouched a little, still feeling bitter.

“Humans and merfolk shouldn’t interact, mainly like this.” Fíli looked at Kíli’s sad eyes and he felt his resolve break. He stood up and walked to Kíli, raising his hands to Kíli’s shoulders so he could bring the brunet for a hug. “I want you to court me, though.” Could he go against everything and everyone just to stay with Kíli? He knew the answer already, but years of responsibilities being drilled into his brain had made him blind to it.

Kíli hugged back, hiding his face into Fíli’s neck and breathing in his scent while Fíli stroked his back. “Good. I don’t want to let you go.” Fíli felt warm all over at the words and he smiled beyond himself.

“I’ll always be near you, like I’ve always been. I’ll stay until it stops raining. Then I should go and ask permission to share the rest of the story with you. I’ll come back even if they deny me.” Fíli promised and Kíli put some distance between them, just enough so they could look into each other’s eyes. One of Kíli’s hands came to his face and his thumb stroked Fíli’s cheek lovingly, making the blond rest his head against the hand, seeking more of the heat.

“I want to kiss you.” Kíli’s voice was a whisper, but they were so close that Fíli could feel Kíli’s breath on his face. Fíli blushed, but looked at Kíli with bright eyes, a small nod being all the agreement Kíli needed before closing the space between them and giving the merman a soft, sweet kiss.

The touch of their lips pressed against each other was perfect and Fíli knew for a fact that he would give up anything if it meant being with Kíli for the rest of their days. He had waited his whole life for this, and he knew Kíli had always waited for this his whole life, even though the brunet only found out the previous day of his existence.

A moment later, they pulled back and Kíli had his huge smile on his face. It was impossible not to smile back, his dimples deepening. “If I already didn’t know I wanted you, this kiss would have sealed the deal.” Fíli tilted his head in confusion, but his smile never faltered. “I should really finish breakfast, though.” Kíli said with a laugh, but before he could let go of Fíli, he leaned down once more, kissing Fíli once more – a much quicker peck of their lips, but a kiss nonetheless.

Fíli sat back on the chair he had been and watched in silence as the brunet continue the preparations for the food. Once he was finished, he divided it in two plates and set one in front of Fíli. The smell was enticing so he didn’t hesitate before putting a hand into his place, taking some of the food and bringing it to his mouth. He moaned at the flavours exploding on his mouth and he put even more food in his mouth. When he looked up to tell Kíli the food was delicious, Kíli was holding something and had a surprised and horrified expression on his face.

“What?” Fíli asked, wondering if he had eaten it wrong somehow.

“You should use silverware to eat.” Kíli said, holding up the objects and then taking one of them, poking the food with it and then bringing the food to his mouth with the fork. “Like this. Do you want to try or do you prefer to eat with your hands?” Fíli looked at Kíli and then back at his plate. He took the extra fork from the table and tried doing the same. He beamed when he did exactly like Kíli, who also smiled at him. “Very good. We often use it so we don’t get our hands dirty.” Fíli didn’t understand why that was a problem, but decided it was a fair reason.

“What is this?” Fíli said as he continued eating.

“It’s called omelette. It’s made with eggs – chicken eggs. I added tomatoes and basil to it.” Fíli was completely blank and Kíli couldn’t help but smile. “You have no idea what I’m talking about, do you?” Fíli shook his head.

“I know what eggs are, but I don’t know what the other things are.” Fíli then shrugged and continued eating. He had not realized he was so hungry until he had the first bite.

“Well, I guess I’ll just have to introduce you to all things human, then.” Kíli said brightly and Fíli laughed at his enthusiasm.

“Yes, I’d like that very much.”

**Author's Note:**

> Please leave kudos and comment! :D


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